Gender in Media Discourse: The Discursive Construction of Gender in Nigerian Newspapers

Researcher:

Research Area:

B

Since 1999 when democratic governance returned to Nigeria, after more than two decades of military dictatorship, the country has witnessed an unprecedented surge in the wave of gendered discourses, especially in the print media. This research project intends to critically examine the many complex and subtle ways in which gender is represented, constructed and contested in the Nigerian (English) newspapers. Using insights from critical discourse analysis, the study will analyze over 600 articles on gender and related issues published in four Nigerian newspapers; The Guardian, New Nigerian, Vanguard and Daily Trust. It seeks to answer the following questions: (i) How is language used to construct gender identities in the Nigerian newspapers? (ii) What linguistic structures and discursive strategies feature in the construction of gender identities in the newspapers? (iii) How do women and men (re)define their power space in the Nigerian social structure through the linguistic choices they made in the newspapers? It is expected that the outcome of this study would not only create awareness on gender representation in the Nigerian media but also engender social change in the society.